The main reason to switch is that IPv4 only allows around 4 billion internet addresses. In order for one device to communicate with another on the internet each of them has to have a unique internet address (IP address). With the number of devices currently on the market – computers, smartphones, smart tvs and set-top boxes – we are already out of addresses. However, clever manipulation allows some devices to share IP addresses with other devices, but this is not an ideal situation. The sharing of addresses makes it difficult for devices to communicate freely on the internet, thus limited functionality.
IPv6 solves the IP address issue simply by introducing a new type of IP address that can handle 3.4e+38 – or 4 billion times 4 billion times 4 billion times 4 billion. It a huge number – difficult for most people to understand. But lets just assume that we will not be running out of IP address ever again.
Today (6/6/12) was been chosen by the Internet Society to mark the launch of IPv6 . IPv6 has been around for many years but the deployment very limited – and mainly used for research within companies and institutions. ISP, hosting providers and other companies on the internet have been repluctant to start offering services on IPv6, primarily because of the investment required both in hardware, software and training.
The Internet Society on the other hand has tried to initiate a movement encouraging ISP, webiste and hardware vendors to take the leap to IPv6 anyway – and thus promote their businesses by using cutting-edge technology.
Another reason why IPv6 has taken such a long time to be accepted is that it is not compatible with IPv4, even though they can exist side by side. But not being compatible means that every piece of software communicating on the internet has to be re-written to support IPv6. The communities around each of the open source projects have a natural interest to support new features; and many projects strive to be forerunners in these areas. Continue reading “Our mission is to provide easy access to high quality open source alternatives to well-known commercial products”